Oshtemo Township’s Planning Commission denied construction of a new duplex building for a proposed care facility on N Avenue, while separately approving adult foster care use in an existing home on the same site.
Background
The proposal, located in the 5500 block of West N Avenue, first came before the commission earlier this year. On April 23, commissioners tabled the request to give the applicant an opportunity to address concerns about parking, and the size, height, and architecture of a proposed new building on a neighboring vacant lot.
The applicant returned with a revised plan. Notable changes included redesigning the new structure as a duplex rather than a single larger building, reducing its square footage from roughly 4,875 to 4,046 square feet, lowering its height from 26 feet to 20 feet, and increasing available parking from eight to eleven spaces, including two additional spaces in the existing home’s driveway. A connecting drive between the two properties was also added to improve site circulation.
Commission divided on the new building
Despite the changes, commissioners remained split on whether the proposal fit the neighborhood. One commissioner said they were “completely on the fence,” acknowledging both those changes and the reality that any new development in an aging neighborhood will look different from what’s there now.
Ultimately, a motion to deny construction of the duplex passed. The motion cited two reasons: traffic concerns on that stretch of N Avenue, which commissioners said the new building would add to, and the building’s external design at a proposed 76 feet wide by 53 feet deep, which commissioners found incompatible with a residential neighborhood roughly 40 to 50 years old. A commissioner also noted the building’s proposed open space didn’t match the character of surrounding residential properties.
During discussion, one commissioner pushed back, arguing the property owner has a right to build on the lot and questioning whether the commission was holding this project to a different standard than an ordinary home. Legal counsel clarified the distinction: a standard duplex built to code would be allowed by right, but because this proposal required special land use approval, the ordinance gives the commission authority to weigh compatibility factors, including design and aesthetics, that wouldn’t otherwise apply.
Existing building approved for adult foster care
The commission then considered the existing home on the property separately, since the applicant’s proposal had originally combined both buildings into one “unified” care facility request. With the new building off the table, the request became a standalone application for a licensed adult foster care small group home in the existing structure. Commissioners approved that use, subject to conditions outlined in the staff report, without raising the concerns that led to denial of the duplex.
